All Washtenaw County wants for Christmas is apartments for homeless veterans

Washtenaw County is part of the Zero:2016 campaign, which seeks to end both veteran and chronic homelessness by 2016.

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Like many of us, the folks at Washtenaw County have something on their Christmas wish list: 17 apartments to house 17 homeless veterans.

Andrea Plevek is with the county's Office of Community and Economic Development.

If she were writing a letter to Santa, "I think that we would ask Santa Claus to open the hearts and minds of the landlord community here in Washtenaw County," says Plevek.

The county hopes to reach its goal of zero homeless veterans by the end of 2015, but Plevek says the county can't do it alone.

"We know that the rental market here is hot," says Plevek. "Landlords have very few vacancies, and when they do, there's typically a line of folks waiting to get in. And this is a challenging group of individuals; they have lots of challenges, lots of barriers."

But Plevek says helping veterans find a place to call home is one of the best ways to honor their service to their county.

Washtenaw County is also on track to meet its 2016 goal: zero chronically homeless individuals.

A veterans fair in Washtenaw County today offered one-stop shopping for employment, counseling, health, and other services. About 20 groups participated in the event at Scio Township Hall. Michigan U.S. Reps. Tim Walberg and Debbie Dingell hosted the event.

Organizations on hand to offer help included the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, the VFW Department of Michigan Service Office, the Washtenaw County Department of Veterans Affairs, Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program, Michigan Operation Freedom Outdoors, and many more.